Re: Another Conspiracy Theory - Pennsylvania Coal Fires
- From: jjedwab@xxxxxxxxx (jacques jedwab)
- Date: 20 Dec 2005 10:19:57 GMT
There are a few USGS Prof. Papers on this topic, if you ever need references.
I like to go a step further than Alan: I contend that those coal fires
release enormous quantities of (natural) Hg, S, Se, I, As, and a nearly
whole Periodic Table of nasty elements. Could also be a source of cheap
Ge.
J.J.
In article <memo.20051219185557.736A@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>,
alan@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx wrote:
> http://itotd.com/articles/346/
>
> Heat under the street
>
> There are a bunch of little facts that I sort of half-learned in elementary
> school, and have had a hard time remembering ever since. I remember the terms
> ?dromedary? and ?bactrian,? for example, but that crucial bit of information
> about which camel has one hump and which has two just didn?t stick. The same
> thing goes for names of cloud types?cirrus, cumulus, nimbus?I know the
names but
> I forget which is which. And then there?s coal. I vividly recall
learning about
> anthracite, bituminous, and lignite coal as a child in Pennsylvania, a state
> legendary for its coal production. But which type had which properties?
It?s all
> a blur now. Since I did not pursue an education or profession in which this
> knowledge was needed, my brain apparently decided to delete those records to
> make space for really important information, such as Star Trek trivia.
>
> I do remember, though, that when I was quite young my father took me to
a coal
> mine that offered tours to the public. I thought it was absolutely the
coolest
> thing ever. Getting to ride in that train down into the dark tunnels,
seeing all
> that amazing machinery, and imagining the life of a miner was exciting and
> mysterious. I?ve always had a fondness for caverns and tunnels?maybe that?s
> where it all started.
>
> As an adult living in California, I rarely think about coal mines. I do,
> however, think about wildfires and forest fires, especially in the dry
months of
> late summer. Everyone understands that these things just happen?due
sometimes to
> natural causes, sometimes human causes (accidental or intentional). And when
> they occur, vast firefighting resources are unleashed to contain the fires in
> order to minimize the risk to homes and businesses. After all, they pose an
> imminent threat, plain for all to see (and smell). Of course they have to be
> stopped.
>
> I learned recently that Pennsylvania has the distinction of being home to the
> largest number of underground coal fires in the United States. And
further, that
> some of these fires have been burning continuously for upwards of 40
years; that
> they?ve decimated entire towns; that they vent an unimaginable amount of
carbon
> dioxide and other gases into the already overburdened atmosphere; and
that, for
> the most part, very little is being done about them. All these facts astonish
> and disturb me, but none more than the very possibility of the fires?
existence.
> How can a fire rage underground for decades? The answer: very easily.
>
> Fire in the Hole
> Picture an abandoned coal mine?there are thousands of them in Pennsylvania.
> Although much of the coal has been removed, plenty still remains?perhaps just
> not in a configuration that?s easily extractable. Miles of tunnels, their
> ceilings shored up with columns of unexcavated coal, lie empty. Though the
> entrance to the mine may have been sealed, that seal was by no means
complete or
> airtight. And suppose some of the coal lies very close to the surface?or
is even
> visible in an exposed seam. Now something happens to ignite the coal. It
may be
> a natural cause?lightning, for instance, or even spontaneous combustion given
> the right conditions. Or maybe a forest fire, or someone burning garbage.
>
> Once the coal begins burning, it feeds off the air in the tunnels and the
> ventilation shafts that were used to supply air to the miners. Still more air
> seeps through natural cracks in the rock. Coal burns very easily,
requiring only
> a tiny amount of oxygen?and with millions of tons of fuel handy, it soon
spreads
> beyond the existing tunnels and into the thick strata of coal that lie under
> immense tracts of land. When enough of the coal burns through, the
ground above
> it collapses?an effect known as subsidence. The newly formed cracks or pits
> allow more air in, accelerating the fire?s spread. Meanwhile, carbon dioxide,
> smoke, and steam escape, killing plants and making the area?s air unsafe for
> humans and wildlife.
>
> Our State Insect: The Firefly (no kidding)
> No one can say for sure how many such fires currently rage in
Pennsylvania, but
> the number is unquestionably in the dozens. The number is hard to pin down
> because coal fires that seem to be out can smolder at very low
temperatures for
> years and then flare up again; the process of checking to see whether they?re
> still going carries with it the risk of making matters worse by adding
more air.
>
> The largest and most infamous of Pennsylvania?s coal fires is under the
town of
> Centralia. It started in 1962, apparently due to someone burning garbage
in the
> town dump. For decades, a combination of bureaucratic delays, funding
shortages,
> and ineffective containment efforts permitted the fire to grow to the
point that
> the entire town (formerly home to 1,100 people) was condemned and
basically shut
> down. A handful of residents remain, despite repeated government orders to
> evacuate. They enjoy peace and quiet for the most part, but worry about the
> ongoing threats of subsidence, toxic fumes, and careless tourists injuring
> themselves.
>
> Down and Out
> Underground coal fires are notoriously difficult to extinguish. If it were a
> simple matter of pumping water (or some other substance) into the old mine
> tunnels to suffocate the fire, it would have been out long ago. Part of the
> problem is simply getting to the spots that are on fire; another part is
pushing
> out all the oxygen, given the very porous nature of the coal and the rock in
> which it?s embedded. And then there?s the scale: the volume of
underground space
> affected by the fire is immense (and growing all the time). Conservative
> estimates put the cost of containing (not extinguishing) the Centralia fire
> alone at well over half a billion dollars. And, of course, that?s just one
> fire?there?s always another. Since that sort of money is nowhere to be found,
> officials throw up their hands and say, ?We?ll just let it burn out.?
How long
> will that take? Experts think there?s enough coal to keep it going for
another
> 250 years.
>
> Pennsylvania is by no means the only place with unquenchable underground coal
> fires. Similar fires burn in other parts of the U.S., as well as China,
India,
> Indonesia, and elsewhere around the world. Under Australia?s Burning Mountain
> Nature Preserve is a coal fire that has been burning for at least 2,000
years,
> and possibly as long as 5,500 years. In all, there may be hundreds of
thousands
> of active coal fires, and only in rare cases are any serious efforts
being made
> to stop them.
>
> By some estimates, coal fires are a bigger contributor to global warming than
> cars?a truly staggering thought. Although fighting them is difficult and
> expensive, very little money has been spent looking for technological
solutions.
> And one of the biggest reasons is simply that the fires are, for the
most part,
> invisible. While a California wildfire may be an obvious threat requiring
> immediate action, it?s hard to convince governments to put money into
solving a
> problem that can?t be seen?especially when it?s relatively cheap simply to
> relocate residents and put up fences and warning signs.?JK
>
> http://itotd.com/articles/346/
>
> Hehehehe. Now why did they first invent the steam engine? The "Newcommen
> Engine" it was called.
>
> http://www.keveney.com/newcommen.html
>
> I wonder how many Tree-Huggers will be using article this as gospel?
>
>
> Alan
>
> http://www.veloceraptor.free-online.co.uk/enigma.html
>
> http://veloceraptor.blogspot.com/
.
- References:
- Prev by Date: Re: Abiotic oil
- Next by Date: Re: Abiotic oil
- Previous by thread: Another Conspiracy Theory - Pennsylvania Coal Fires
- Next by thread: Ho! Ho! Ho! Merry Christmas!
- Index(es):
Relevant Pages
|
